about

My painting captures California’s joyful, energetic, yet laid-back ambiance, and is reminiscent of my roots in the Mediterranean. I am now working with watercolor and acrylic on paper in a relatively large format, visually recording my emotional responses to things that engage me, such as people and the outdoors. High contrast and bright energetic relationships of shapes, color harmonies and calligraphic strokes are characteristic of my current work but who knows where I will venture next?

“The process is very important to Al’s way of working because the enjoyment he feels in handling the medium is reflected in the final product. He functions in a place of playful spontaneity which produces a freshness in his work that will remind viewers of joyful times in their own lives.”

My artistic journey is self-directed. I pursued formal training at the California Art Institute and have selectively attended workshops and seminars with prominent artists of my choosing. This has been supplemented by extensive reading and “eye training” through attending museum and art shows all over the United States as well as abroad, including Canada, Cuba, Egypt, England, France, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Spain and Turkey.

I feel fortunate to have been the recipient of numerous awards at local, national and international shows and am pleased to have exhibited widely, including in a few museums. My work hangs in many public and private, national and international collections.

I enjoy writing about art and have been published on a number of occasions. Click here to read some of my thoughts on the subject. I am also fond of teaching and have done numerous workshops and demonstrations.

Al Setton